Khamenei.ir

Question: Different analyses have been made about the origin and cause of the riots that took place last fall. To begin this discussion, tell us about the origins and dimensions of the enemy's plan based on the analysis made by the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC, seeing that it is an important security institution in the country.

Gen. Kazemi: In the first six months of 1401 AHS (March - September 2022), the Islamic Republic of Iran made many achievements and there were increased opportunities in domestic and foreign areas. I will refer to some of these.

One example was the diligence and unanimity of the executive, regulatory, and legislative bodies in solving problems such as the water shortage crisis, power outages, dealing with natural disasters, and implementing economic plans that were bringing about transformations while causing minimal social disturbances.

The next issue was the lack of progress of the United States’ projects in the region and their anger over the strategic influence that Imam Khamenei’s leadership played in foiling their plans.

The strategic cooperation between Iran and Russia (20-year Strategic Agreement) and the establishment of the International North-South Transport Corridor, as well as Iran’s strategic cooperation with China (25-year Cooperation Agreement), and revival of ​​the “One Belt, One Road” initiative (the Silk Road), and China's increasing presence in West Asia, were all important parts of this. 

Furthermore, the process of forming a government in Iraq, Lebanon's achievement in determining a maritime border with the [Zionist] regime, the uprising of the West Bank against the [Zionist] regime, and the challenges that were arising in Afghanistan and Pakistan were also important events that were taking place during that point in time.

There was also the continued advancement of Iran’s nuclear program as it moved toward 60% [uranium] enrichment. The country also increased its regional and missile power (especially its drone power). It expanded the role it played in the region, from West Asia to the Caucasus and Eastern Europe. Additionally, in cultural and social areas, there was the participation of different strata of society in national and religious ceremonies, such as the celebration of Eid al-Ghadir, the magnificent walk for Arbaeen, and the international enthusiasm for the “Hello Commander” song, all of which were taking place at that time.

These circumstances caused the US and its local partners to become worried and have strategic concerns, so they made the decision to attack the Islamic Republic.

Therefore, in October and November (the beginning of the academic year and approaching the anniversary of the Aban 1398 AHS [November 2019] event, the issues of hijab [women’s covering], women's freedom, and freedom of the youth, became a target point for activating platforms and elements. They were tools to create instability in the country in order to pave the way for protests and provide a basis to be able to bring pressure over human rights. Then, the death of Miss Mahsa Amini, who was a young Kurdish girl, served as a catalyst for the enemy’s plots.

The think tanks affiliated with the American governing body were active examining and analyzing the protests in Iran, especially the events that took place during November 2019. They recommended focusing on the issues of women and the youth for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic in the long-term. For example, in a report from the FDD Institute, they emphasized that future protests in Iran are likely to involve more violence, including vandalism to public property, etc., and protests are likely to break out explosively with shorter intervals between each uprising.

Toward the end of August 2022, the intelligence services underlined in their summary that success with regard to [using the issue of] mandatory hijab would be a prelude to the overthrow of the government. Therefore, they created a wave of opposition about hijab by focusing on the issue of mandatory hijab, especially in social networks.

The socio-cultural and psychological environment in areas had also prepared the situation for the enemy to focus and take action in these fields. They used the people’s dissatisfaction with regard to the economy and difficult living conditions in order to incite riots in society. Especially due to the continuation of economic problems, they referred to opinion polls and used the destructive effects of social media networks, satellite channels, VODs, and computer games that had come out during the last decade (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic). This produced feelings of protest, excitement, violence, and hedonism in teenagers and young people and shaped their lifestyles in a way that was far from the official, valued norms of the system.

Furthermore, there was an increased change in whom the society looked up to. In recent years, people started following celebrities and influential people rather than elite figures. Additionally, content was produced on the issues of the rights of women and the youth, on female victimization, and with the goal of demeaning hijab. At the same time, the opposition’s media, home television networks, cinema, and theaters incited people to confront the police, the Islamic religious police force, the judicial system, and those who encouraged people to do what is right in the months leading up to this incident. Ultimately, the enemy tried to prove the idea that institutionalized violence and oppression exist in the government and even Islam. And we witnessed that they also tried to create hatred in religious groups and supporters of the government in order to increase political-social dichotomies.

Question: There are usually certain obvious signs in the enemy's destructive actions and schemes that cannot be overlooked by sharp eyes. What were the operational steps the enemies took in implementing “hybrid warfare" against the Iranian nation during the riots that took place in 2022?

Gen. Kazemi: After the Biden administration came to power, the US came to the strategic conclusion that they had been defeated in many cases in foreign countries. The reason for this were the measures taken by Iran and also due to the leadership of Imam Khamenei. These failures caused America's international position to become overshadowed. Therefore, [they decided that] Iran must pay the price for this. So they decided to rewrite Trump's version of “maximum pressure” and moved toward the Democrats (hybrid warfare) strategy of controlling and limiting the Islamic Republic. For this purpose, they designed three steps.

The first step was to create an atmosphere of protest due to Miss Amini's death, fueling the protest of the people in the community who were dissatisfied and to create an emotional atmosphere of doubt in order to bring together people who were apathetic and had a similar attitude in society.

The second step was to transform an atmosphere where protests were taking place to one that was filled with riots by trying to create daily protests and nightly riots and pushing non-aligned groups and movements to become involved.

The third step was to turn the atmosphere that was filled with riots into an armed movement by having armed groups and teams in the environment to join in places where riots were taking place. They then attacked public property, law enforcement forces, and staged killings.

In May 2022, the CIA arranged a meeting with anti-revolutionary elements. They spoke of public dissatisfaction in the country as being something to take advantage of and discussions revolved around the organization of protests [in Iran] in the upcoming months. During the meeting, the following strategies were suggested:

1. Determine executive officers and a project council.
2. Form an internal civil war room to work against the [Iranian] government and to provide security plans to protect their agents and [riot] leaders in the field.
3. There is a need for cellular communication with [riot] leaders to increase their security and to find ways to make explosives.
4. Incite hatred by making up emotional news stories.
5. Eliminate the security of the people in general and also religious groups that support the government.
6. Find ways, such as blind spots, in order to be able to escape surveillance cameras in cities.

This is while Richard Nephew (US Foreign Ministry expert and an architect of sanctions during the Obama administration) stated in a congressional session in response to a question he was asked about a regime change in Iran, “A policy of change does not exist in the form of news, let alone in implementation. The main challenge the Islamic Republic of Iran is facing is efficiency, not legitimacy. A regime change is an aspiration that neither the US has the ability to implement, nor is there any way to implement it in Iran in any form (militarily, via a coup, or using a color revolution). Democrats believe that in addition to increasing economic pressure, using groups [inside Iran], strengthening and guiding them under the guise of civil rights, implementing a project for infiltration, and communicating with the intellectual elite and the academic society are necessary.”

It was under these circumstances, that the US moved toward designing and implementing their second plan. Their second plan involved simultaneously engaging Iran in a range of internal crises by financing foreign groups, provoking ethnic groups, insinuating that the governing system in Iran is incompetent, continuing pressures and sanctions, continually suggesting that a military attack [against Iran] is imminent, and creating wider political isolation. In other words, the framework of their second plan was to weaken Iran.

 

Question: What activities and strategies did the enemy employ to create and spread discord and mistrust in different levels of people's groups and political factions?

Gen. Kazemi: In the field of public opinion, they tried to provoke a sense of hatred, anger, and sadness in society by using high-pressure psychological warfare and by generating waves and hashtags in the social media. Assessments show that they focused on four main axes for this purpose.

1. Creating the perception that there is an authoritarian, totally restrictive system of governance, by highlighting the censorship of certain social media platforms, the integration of the three branches of government, the [Cyberspace] Protection Bill, and discretionary monitoring.
2.  Creating the perception that women are being discriminated against and that their rights are being violated via campaigns and attacks on the Islamic religious police force, the “My stealthy freedom” campaign, women entering stadiums, and campaigning to remove hijab on July 12.
3. Creating the perception that the governing system is a threat to people’s lives and livelihood. This included the “Don’t execute” campaign, trying to prevent of the importation of the coronavirus vaccine, the killing of 1,500 people in Aban 1398 AHS, as well as issues involving economics and people’s livelihoods.
4. Creating the perception that the system of the Islamic Republic was about to collapse and that this would be the end of the Islamic Revolution.

 

In the field of political powers, they tried to focus on destroying the Islamic system. By targeting the position of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, by highlighting the Western lifestyle and social restrictions such as hijab and women's rights, and by introducing women as a liberating movement in Iranian society, they tried to create a dichotomous society. They also attempted to increase demands from the government by changing the priorities of the legislative and executive bodies.

 

Question: One of the events that took place at the beginning of the riots was the bombing of the bases of active terrorist groups that were a threat on our country’s western borders in Iraq. This demonstrated the strong position and authority of our country when it comes to maintaining its security. Due to successive events that took place, this topic wasn’t discussed as much. Considering the messages that were sent by the enemies, what role did this measure play in the country's plan to curb the enemy's comprehensive scheme to weaken security?

Gen. Kazemi: In recent years, one of the goals of the United States and the Zionist regime has been to support and stimulate terrorist groups on the borders of the country under the banner of nationalism. Their aim has been to produce groups to spread insecurity deep inside the country in order to take advantage of Iran’s ethnic and religious diversity by turning it into a threat.

In the same context, we have witnessed an upsurge in the enemy's movements in line with getting spy agencies and terrorist groups to work together and bring the positions of the groups closer together. According to our intelligence observations, they had a special agenda in the Kurdish area centered on activating US stations in the region where there was the situation of a Kurdish anti-revolutionary group and it was continuing. In one case in early 2022, more than 800,000 dollars were provided to Kurdish anti-revolutionaries to strengthen them with new equipment and personnel.

During the period of Arbaeen, we witnessed some Kurdish groups making announcements threatening the security of pilgrims. Their role in the areas of rallying people [to take part in riots], inciting attacks on law enforcement forces and security stations, and on provoking attacks on pro-government groups, etc., intensified with the start of the riots.

Therefore, following the arrangements that had been made with the Iraqi government, considering the previous messages and warnings that had been given to the leaders of these terrorist groups, and based on the detailed information that had been received from within the anti-revolutionary groups, their positions were struck hard by the IRGC forces during four stages when the main elements of the group were present. This caused a disruption in their security balance.  In these operations, 44 targets were attacked precisely, 24 of the villainous anti-revolutionaries were killed, and more than 165 others were injured. Furthermore, the internal network of the people who were cooperating with them was also the subject of intelligence investigations.

The Iraqi government and the officials in northern Iraq were also informed about Iran’s red lines, and they were given the opportunity to prevent the movements of Kurdish terrorist groups in order to ensure the security of their country. Furthermore, a discussion was held in this field and agreements were reached during the recent visit of the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

Question: There was some news about an exchange of messages between Iran and Western countries during the time of the riots. For example, some said that one of the Western countries had stated that the end of the riots in Iran would depend on Iran fulfilling their requests. How accurate was this news?

In the midst of the riots, a rumor was raised by some opposition media networks that Britain had implicitly threatened the Islamic Republic of Iran and that it had stated that the riots would end if Iran met certain conditions such as ending its support for Russia in the Ukraine war, returning to the JCPOA limitations, and agreeing to the release of prisoners.

After the riots, similar claims were made, especially by European countries, in a number of diplomatic meetings. Efforts were made to convey this message to the Islamic Republic of Iran that economic relief, a growth in international relations, the discontinuation of support for the anti-revolutionary and foreign opposition by these countries, and the establishment of stability inside Iran, depended on a change of behavior on the part of Iran. They wanted Iran to accept global trends in cultural and social issues, to turn back from their nuclear advancements, etc.

For example, in a meeting that was held in Doha, Qatar, a delegation from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a delegation from the European Union met with the aim of reviving negotiations. During this meeting, the other party insisted that the Islamic Republic of Iran should change its conduct and cooperate with the West.
In any case, riots and instability in the country allow others, especially Western countries, to take advantage of our domestic problems in order to serve their own interests. But in general, the Islamic Republic of Iran has tried to stop these countries from linking numerous negotiation issues or other issues with Iran’s internal problems and to deprive the enemy of this trump card. By the power and strength of God and with the adopted measures, the internal situation has been contained and controlled, and with the efforts that have been made by the respected government, the damages will be repaired. The enemy and the spy agencies have admitted that the Islamic Republic of Iran has successfully overcome the riots and resolved the issues.

Question: It seems the networks related to the monarchists and the MEK were also part of the recent unrest.

Gen. Kazemi: Considering the historical hatred that the Iranian people have had for terrorist groups, especially for the MEK and the monarchists, these groups have never been able to create movements or events that threaten the society or security inside the country. These groups have always been on the lookout for an opportunity to take advantage of a situation to create insecurity and unrest under those conditions. Of course, the support and guidance they receive from spy agencies has also increased. In recent years, they tried to use terrorist groups by integrating them and setting them in motion, especially in the field of psychological warfare in recent events. They were used to continue the chaos and show an expansion of the scope of protests by encouraging people to take part in riots, creating hashtags, staging killings inside the country, using human rights as a leverage to bring pressure, carrying out harmful actions against the people and against the country’s infrastructure, continuing their propagation, and attempting to show the terrorist groups in a good light in society using innovative methods in order to have a greater impact on the younger generation.

 

In this regard, in a tripartite meeting involving representatives from the United States, England, and the Zionist regime that was held in one of the countries in the region, several points were highlighted regarding the situation in Iran. [They said,] "Firstly, weapons should be provided to the Kurdish anti-revolutionary forces by the Fifth Fleet of the US Navy. Secondly, intelligence support should be provided to the MEK for them to identify important locations. And thirdly, anti-revolutionary groups should become more active in carrying out secret activities inside Iran."

Considering the dominance in information that the country’s intelligence services have over the operational and media ringleaders of terrorist groups inside the country, 35 MEK leaders and 20 monarchist leaders were identified and arrested during the height of the riots. Meanwhile, the alleged Neighborhood Youth network was identified and dealt with in several provinces.

Furthermore, in an assessment made by the DIA (US’s Defense Intelligence Agency) in October, it was said, "These groups proved that they are incapable of attacking Iran's borders, and their previous claims regarding the purchase and storage of weapons inside Iran were false. Additionally, the cities in Kurdistan performed better than the cities where supporters of the MEK were present.”

 

Question: With regard to security issues, there are many unsaid issues and events that were prevented from taking place due to adopting the appropriate security measures. Tell us some examples of these successes.

Gen. Kazemi: In recent years, after the increase in the level of confrontation of the Islamic Revolution with the hegemonic system in domestic, regional, and international areas (especially after the victory of the Axis of Resistance in declaring the end of ISIS), we have witnessed the enemies’ efforts to create a new security barrier around the country in the form of hybrid warfare.

One part of this hybrid warfare is their information and security warfare against the interests and national security of Iran. Intelligence services, media platforms, the social media, and terrorist groups are the central players of the security-information warfare that aims to destabilize and control the Islamic Republic of Iran. In this regard, the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC has on its agenda to identify, prevent, and confront the elements and networks that produce insecurity. Thus, it continually, intelligently monitors these threats from the start.

One example where dangers and the events planned by the enemies during these riots were prevented was the thwarting of the assassination of a Friday prayer leader in one of Iran’s provinces and the attack that took place on its governorate. A number of other measures were also taken, such as dealing with some trade unions that tried to divert the demands and protests of the society. A number of elements who were affiliated with leftist groups, the MEK, and monarchists [were arrested] before their riotous actions. The leaders of several groups were prevented from holding meetings for coordinating events. A number of intelligence operations were carried out against active arms trafficking networks during the riots, and large quantities of weapons that terrorist groups were smuggling into the country with the aim of utilizing them during the riots were discovered and identified.

 

Question: It seems the enemy has invested heavily on some issues, including religious sectarianism, the issue of women, and the like in order to create social and political fault lines. What is your analysis of this?

Gen. Kazemi: Investing on issues that can create divisions in a society and targeting the country’s solidarity has always been one of the old yet widely-used strategies of the enemy, especially malicious England, not only in our country but in any society that has such capacities. To explain this more clearly, this investment has been made in the following three areas:

1. In the area of women, there is a global trend. There are many hidden and visible signs showing that the enemy is focusing and investing on this issue in our country. Earlier I said something about the conclusion that spy services had come to on the issue of hijab. Biden’s official announcement that “protests led by women in Iran have been awakened, and the United States stands by the women of Iran,” as well as the allocation of hefty budgets by the State Department and the CIA for the project to remove hijab are other examples pointing to this issue. At the peak of the riots in October, the US Secretary of State stated in a meeting with several Iranians who were feminists and human rights activists opposed to the Islamic Revolution that the US government will continue to provide the necessary financial aid to support human rights activists, especially women’s rights activists. He said they will work to create a global consensus against the Iranian government using the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Affairs (DRL) of the US State Department regarding the issue of women.
2. Concerning ethnic and religious issues, one of these services has recently described the creation of crises and fueling divisions in ethnically-diverse provinces in our country as being one of the most important ways to weaken the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran. They said that magnifying some shortcomings, fueling religious divisions and ethnic tensions, inciting people due to the water crisis, creating a skeptical outlook toward the Leader and the IRGC, etc. are among the tactics used to implement that strategy. In another project, $550,000 was allocated for aid to the media to incite ethnic and religious minorities in the border areas of Iran and to cover the news of riots inside the country.
3. Regarding the youth, based on information we received recently in another case, they had identified the methods of dividing the youth, applying the term “a student revolution” to the fall riots, reproducing and highlighting political tensions, and dividing currents into radical and moderate ones as tactics for changing the US strategy in its dealing with Iran.

 

Question: The security and military confrontation between Iran and the Zionist regime is one of the most important aspects of the country’s security issue. Given the increase in Iran’s strength and influence in the region, the Zionists have pursued this issue with more sensitivity, and they have made attempts to harm Iran’s regional interests. However, thanks to having the upper hand in this region, Iran has tried to respond to these actions at an appropriate time and place while avoiding emotional, transitory reactions. What can you say about our countermeasures on this issue?

Gen. Kazemi: It should be noted that in recent years the Zionist regime has been in a situation where, on the one hand, it is facing the attacks of the resistance groups against its interests as well as the increasing strength of Iran and the Axis of Resistance, and on the other hand, the Zionists are suffering from divisions and other internal crises. Therefore, the authorities of this occupying regime have tried to achieve a level of deterrence while pushing threats from their internal environment to the outside and putting pressure on the resistance front. The Islamic Republic of Iran, within the framework of its fundamental policy of giving a “reciprocal response to threats,” has the plan to form an informational deterrence that has the two characteristics of covert action and a similar strike against the Zionist regime. Of course, at the level of confrontation, the threats of the Islamic Republic of Iran to that regime are to their existence and are strategic blows, but the movements of the Zionists are tactical and temporary.

Therefore, they are trying to magnify their small actions and create credibility by means of a media war. However, the platforms and capacities used by the regime’s spy service for these actions have been identified. You have seen an example of the confrontation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and that regime in the matter of ships. Also, they are being struck in various fields and areas of the occupied territories, the Gaza Strip, cyberspace, the regime’s bases in the region, etc., and strengthening the ability to carry out fundamental strikes is still on the agenda. Of course, due to protecting the goals, methods, tools, collaborative networks, and aligned currents in the depth of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as creating fear and uncertainty in the Zionist side about the origin of strikes, there is currently no plan to recount and publicize these effective actions.

 

Question: There were reports about the involvement of the intelligence services of more than 20 countries in the fall riots. Would you please describe some of the dimensions of this issue?

Gen. Kazemi: Intelligence investigations by the IRGC Intelligence Organization reveal that the intelligence services of nearly 20 countries were involved and participated in the riots in 1401 AHS (2022 AD). At times, several of the intelligence services of those countries were involved. It is worth noting that in recent years there have been attempts to form a coalition and divide the work among the groups that are opposed to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the intelligence services of the hostile countries that have come to the fore in recent events. Of course, the intelligence services and embassies of those countries have interfered directly and indirectly or with the cooperation of their proxies in various political, security, diplomatic, legal, and cyber areas. Some examples include: 1. collecting field information about the riots and the rioters’ demands, 2. identifying routes and groups active in arms and ammunition smuggling, 3. coordinating terrorist groups, 4. supporting rioters financially and with their media, 5. pressuring legal and international institutions with the aim of isolating and expelling Iran from them, 6. intensifying diplomatic pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran, 7. attempting to unify and strengthen the opposition and hostile elements, 8. preparing the background and supporting the hosting of anti-revolutionary gatherings abroad, 9. intensifying pressure from sanctions and creating outcries in the media over issues related to livelihood and high prices, and 10. designing malicious actions and cyber vandalism. These are some of the things that I can point to.

Of the countries that have been active in these fields, one can mention the US, Britain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Canada, Belgium, Austria, Albania, Australia, Iceland, Italy, Kosovo, Norway, Bahrain, New Zealand, and the occupying Zionist regime.

In this context, some of the actions carried out by these services and their elements are as follows:

1. There were certain actions taken by the diplomats of the French embassy in Tehran. They were collecting field information about the riots and the situation of the security and law enforcement forces in October and exchanging information with the intelligence officer of the embassy of a European country.
2. The Zionist regime attempted to justify the creation of a support fund for strikers and protesters at the initiative and financing of the US and other countries.
3. A meeting was held with the ambassadors of 28 European countries in the embassy of a European country in the middle of October 2022 to consider a proposal to recall the ambassadors of the EU member states and to close the European embassies in Iran, with Germany being at the center of this.
4. Non-European nationals (Afghans, Pakistanis, and Iraqis) were used and there was the presence of European nationals to collect information and document the situation of the riots. This led to the arrest of 40 of the nationals of one of the neighboring countries, one French-Irish national in Khorasan Razavi Province, and one German national in Ardebil Province.
5. There was an intensification of activities and support of the CIA in order to create the necessary cyber platforms for the transmission of news of the riots, including attempts to send technical equipment and tools to circumvent and nullify bans on devices related to mobile communications. This was done under the pretext of a free flow of information and freedom of the internet in the midst of the riots.
6. The CIA requested to form a joint team with Mossad and MI6 in order to reactivate the project of assassinating scientists, especially in the nuclear, space, and military fields at the end of the unrest.
7. A periodic joint meeting of the UAE’s Intelligence Organization and the Zionist regime was held in an Arab country on the topic of supporting the unrest in Iran.

 

 

Question: Apart from the designs of external enemies and their internal elements, what was the role of the people, who were either deceived or uninformed and were inside the country, in fueling these incidents?

Gen. Kazemi: The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said in his statements at the joint graduation ceremony for the students of military academies that the death of that woman was only a pretext for these incidents, as these riots had been planned by the enemy from an earlier time.

While the responsible institutions in different departments began to investigate her death soon after that event, some people inside the country unfortunately condemned the establishment with two-edged or inflammatory statements based only on some hearsay and without doing research on the case, instead of enlightening, demanding the truth, and bringing peace to society amid the large-scale psychological war of the hostile media. In fact, they intensified the ambiguities, and as a result, they increased the anger of the society. These people, without understanding that these riots were taking place in the context of a hybrid war, merely excited and incited the deceived youth and teenagers to work for foreign spy services and hostile groups.

The activity of some internal currents and the passivity of others showed that, like the days of the 1388 seditions, having insight and understanding of the situation and atmosphere is always necessary in order to prevent or overcome a crises. Destroying the pillars, principles, image, and structures of the Islamic system and changing the places of enemies and friends were some of the behaviors exhibited by them. This caused the truth to become even more obscure and the atmosphere to become hazy. The correction of some stances that had been taken, even though this happened late, helped to make the atmosphere more transparent. But unfortunately, the silence and two-edged comments of the intellectual elites and some of the country’s scholars, as well as the late action taken by some parliamentarians, imposed a great cost on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Creating suspicion, doubt, indifference, resentment, and hatred in the people toward the government by adopting unprincipled, irresponsible positions, which are sometimes formed out of ignorance and sometimes rooted in enmity toward the Islamic system, initiated the transformation of a cohesive society into a disunited, divided crowd that was hostile toward the Islamic system. All sympathetic, domestic currents and people should be careful to avoid this atmosphere.

 

Question: The enemy was defeated in the recent riots due to the participation of the people in the marches on November 4 and February 11 and due to them coming to face the Iranian nation’s unity. Nonetheless, the Leader of the Revolution also warned in his speech on June 4 this year that this was not the last attempt of the enemy, and they will try to do more in the future. What is your assessment of the future movements of the enemy and hostile currents?

Gen. Kazemi: As stated earlier, the enemy’s strategy against the Islamic Republic of Iran is ongoing, and one of the turning points for them is the elections in 1402 (2023 AD). But there is a will that rules above the will of the enemy, about which the Holy Qur’an says in verse 12 of Chapter Al-Imran, “Say to those who disbelieve, ‘You shall be overcome…’” And also in verse 36 of Chapter Anfal, God has promised, “Those who disbelieve spend their wealth to bar (others) from the path of Allah. Soon they will have spent it, then it will become a source of regret for them, then they will be overcome… .”

Internal and external friends and enemies saw the sign of this divine will on the “Days of Allah” (Yawm Allah), November 4th and February 11th. With the conscious, motivated presence of young people and families in these religious-political rituals and the announcement of the defeat of the enemies’ 100-day plot, the resistance of the Iranian people had its impact on the internal and external situation of the country. The first impact it had was on the US, which made a U-turn. They are today looking to rebuild their image and position after being caught in a miscalculation about the riots and their thinking that they could implement their so-called second plan by openly supporting the malicious terrorists and infamous supporters of the Pahlavi dictatorship.

The second impact it had was on the Europeans. By the European Union and European governments retreating from declaring the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, they are seeking to revive the channels of diplomatic relations with Iran. As a result of this, we later witnessed the presence of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Tehran. The third impact it had was the historic visit of Dr. Raisi (the respected president of our country) to China and the Tehran-Beijing strategic agreements, particularly in the field of economics. The fourth impact can be seen in the announcement of the agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia and the fact that other Arab governments have welcomed the development of relations with Iran.

Domestically, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution issued a historic decree where he pardoned and commuted the sentences of a significant number of people who had been accused and convicted of crimes in recent events. Furthermore, the country’s executive, legislative, and judicial bodies increased efforts to curb inflation and calm the market, and we witnessed improved dealings with foreign countries. Following these events, praise God, we are witnessing growing hope, unity, and self-confidence in people from all walks of life. In addition, we have witnessed the start of large economic projects since the beginning of 1402 AHS (March 2023). Of course, in the atmosphere of the psychological warfare of the enemy, we must be careful not to fall into a cognitive error. These recent developments are the result of the resistance of the people and the efficiency of the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It may get interrupted at times, but the path of progress and honor of Islamic Iran has continued.